The incident underscores a troubling lack of curiosity in the press that Trump’s election has done nothing to mitigate. Right now, the media should be asking themselves: Why did Trump win white college graduates? Why did he outperform Mitt Romney among blacks and Hispanics? Why did lifelong Democrats in the Rust Belt vote for him?

If the mainstream press wanted to understand and explain Trump’s appeal, they could talk to any one of the millions of ordinary Americans with non-crazy views who voted for him. Instead, the media have gravitated toward fringe supporters and conspiracy theorists—the New Hampshire lawmakers who claimed that millions of people voted illegally, the handful of white supremacists who praised Trump at a recent conference in Washington DC, the malign influence of Alex Jones and readers of Infowars.

VJ: Let me finish my point. I’m going someplace. I told you both parties had problems they won’t admit, and you just did it. The Democrats will not admit to their elitism and their failure to address the working-class in this country in terms that make sense. The Republicans are the party of colorblind meritocracy. That’s their party.

HH: That’s true.

VJ: And that’s beautiful. But they have also created a space for a bunch of bigots to come in the back door, and they won’t admit it.

HH: That is not true. Van…

VJ: Hold on.

HH: What percentage, what percentage do you believe of the Trump vote is white supremacist? What percentage?

VJ: Like outright, we hate black people?

HH: Yes.

VJ: Probably less than 1%.

There is a tendency among the Left, which unquestionably includes a lot of media, to focus very narrowly – to miss the bigger picture – to define an agenda when ofttimes circumstances define your agenda for you. This contributes deeply to average American’s distrust of media, to their gullibility regarding so-called “fake news” and to Facebook becoming the way most people get their information. But it also illustrates something else. It illustrates a problem in the deepest parts of ourselves.

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!1 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I hear those last two sentences, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” quoted all the time, Christian context or otherwise. To focus on a problem at the exclusion of all other considerations simply is not healthy. The current focus the Left has on identity just makes me sad for them if for no other reason than it robs them of the ability to see the blessings we have that allow us to even worry about it.

As Hewitt’s conversation with Jones illustrates, it is very hard to break into this narrative withe someone holding it. Their focus rises to the level of obsession, really. There is little sense in arguing with them. But I would suggest that there are a few things we can do.

One, make sure we are not guilty of the same thing. Of course, our obsessive focus is likely elsewhere, but that is not what I am talking about. We need to make sure our horizons are broad. Among other things that means work very hard to get information.

Two, be grateful. We have come very far as a nation and we enjoy so much. Do not take what we enjoy for granted. Be thankful, if not to God, just generally.

Finally, live lives that illustrate how wonderful life is when you are thankful. We may not be able to argue, but we can illustrate. Words often fail, but a picture says so much.